More on painting bee hives

When I first wrote about painting bee hives, I filed it under “infrequently asked questions,” but it has turned out to be one of my most popular posts. Because of that, I decided to add several details that I didn’t mention before.

New beekeepers want to know if they should paint the ends (or edges)—the part of the hive that is stacked on another part. The first time I painted hives I did not paint that part, I just painted the outside surfaces. However, after painting them a dark green and stacking them in the field, I noticed a rim of unpainted wood where each piece of equipment met (or didn’t quite meet) the next. I suppose it depends how picky you are, but this made me crazy. I have painted those surfaces ever since.

The downsides of this practice are many. First of all it’s a lot of extra work. Secondly, latex paint loves to stick to itself, especially if you happen to strap the hive together with a ratcheting tie-down. Combined with the propolis the bees stick in there, these become extremely difficult to separate. And once you ding the edges with the hive tool, you’ve knocked the paint off again.

So, if you’re not picky consider yourself lucky and don’t bother painting them. If you don’t like the unpainted ring, try just painting over the edge about one-quarter inch. If your boxes are pretty square, a quarter-inch should do it. It’s hard to line all the boxes up perfectly, however, so don’t expect your perfectly-squared boxes to eliminate the problem by itself.

Another frequent question concerns the type of paint. I use low-VOC latex paint because it’s better for the environment than oil-based paints. I’ve tried to get it without added fungicide, but I’ve been told that virtually all paint sold today comes with factory-supplied fungicide. So just make sure you don’t paint inside the hive, and make sure the paint is dry before installing bees.

A third issue is priming. I started out by priming and gave up on it. I find that the primer shows through once the wood becomes scratched, chipped, or weathered which (see above) irritates me. If you don’t prime, the knots eventually bleed through, but for some reason this does not bother me. Like I say, these aesthetic decisions are important for the beekeeper—not the bees—so do what makes you happy.

One last thing: keep some paint on hand. As a beekeeper, you are never done painting. There is always a new piece of equipment, a repair, or just general maintenance that includes paint. Whenever I take a piece of woodenware to the shop for mending, cleaning, or modifying I make a habit of re-painting it as well.

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Great article. I recently painted mine and came to this site to confirm the outter edges issue. I figure that I’ll do more damage with the hive tool if they are good and stuck together as well. I purchased valspar flat exterior, ultra paint and primer mixed in and the dry time is 100% faster doing this. I’ll be able to post photos on my blog here in about a day. http://kybeeco.com Oh, and the Valspar paint was <50 VOC levels. Thanks for your advice!

Oh man, we painted primer all over the outside AND inside of our hives. We were not planning to paint the inside but thought a coat of primer would be a good idea to help protect it. Is this terrible? Are bees don’t arrive for another 3 weeks. What should we do?

I wouldn’t worry about it this time around. As long as it is good and dry it shouldn’t hurt the bees, but don’t do it in the future. Not only should fungicides be avoided, but wood inside the hive helps to absorb hive moisture, something painted wood can’t do. There’s a give-and-take between the life of the wood and the life of the colony, so you can’t do it all perfectly.

Hi, we can’t decide if we should wax dip our boxes or just paint them. If we just paint them how often does this need doing. Can you please advise us on which method would be better.
Thankyou regards
Kim

I think it’s up to the individual. In my opinion, painting is less work. I have boxes that I painted ten years ago that still look pretty good. On the other hand, most of my hives are covered so they don’t get hit with lots of rain.

In my jubilation of finally getting bees I made a newbie move and didn’t paint my hives last year. They are currently untreated and beginning to show wear. The bees are overwintering now and I wonder if it would be ok to paint the outside IF they will remain inside (low temps). Will fumes get inside and harm them or should I just give up on trying to salvage the supers?

A coat of paint on the outside should not harm the clustering bees on the inside. However, most paint must be applied in warmer conditions or it will not set and adhere properly. Read the directions carefully before you paint in cold weather and make sure the hive boxes are clean and dry. If you end up with a sticky or tacky mess, that could very well affect the bees later.

White is the best color, can be sloppier and faster and just prime the lips between boxes and the obvious lines will not show because the primer is more or less colored with the paint. The primer will not fuse together as much as latex paint. And if you are really into design language, nothing better than a white background. Wonder if any of the CT apiary paint jobs freak out the bees ?!

Hey, Rusty. I just found your site and am super excited. I inherited a hive a couple years ago, but have never set it up. We are in south Texas, and the previous owner painted the exterior surfaces dark like you do up north. I would like to repaint them white, and really wanted to use brush-on enamel. I will not be adding bees until spring. Do you have any feedback? It’s pretty “fumiferous” when fresh, but seems to dissipate quickly on other projects.

I have appreciated so much you have shared for us new beekeepers. Before I get going this year or next, not sure about timing, I have a question regarding our hive which was purchased from a former beekeeper who is done beekeeping. We have sanded down and removed what paint he had on the boxes and now want to coat with a varnish or other type of clear wood preservative. Is this ok? Does varnish emit fumes that don’t go away? What brand if any would you recommend?

Thank you for this article. I’m a professional artist and muralist. A client just hired me to paint a scene on one of his hives. This is my first time working with a beehive. I already specialize in using both organic paints and low to zero VOC products. I’m looking for any suggestions for a protective sealant for my artwork that will hold up to the elements that is also extremely safe for the bees?

Two quick questions. I did a double coat of primer. Do I still need to paint? Also, a little bit of the primer got on the inside of the hive. Should I sand that off? Will it be ok for the bees? Will it hurt them or drive them away?

I wish I could post photos, but the beehive that I was hired to paint turned out awesome. I used a low VOC exterior paint/primer and tinted the colors myself. I then sealed it with a zero VOC acrylic polyurethane in a semi-gloss. You’re welcome to check it out on my FB Page or IG account under Michele Levani Art.

I love to see the knots and grain of the wood however if you wish for them to not show through there are only 2 things that work well. Slowly torch them to a nice char and this turns the bleeding sap to carbon or easier is to hit it with a coat or 2 of shellac. Shellac is a great sealer. The torching is great for grease on a garage floor you want to paint.

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Regardless of dictionaries, we have in entomology a rule for insect common names that can be followed. It says: If the insect is what the name implies, write the two words separately; otherwise run them together. Thus we have such names as house fly, blow fly, and robber fly contrasted with dragonfly, caddicefly, and butterfly, because the latter are not flies, just as an aphislion is not a lion and a silverfish is not a fish. The honey bee is an insect and is preeminently a bee; “honeybee” is equivalent to “Johnsmith.”

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Not one native bee is a state insect. The closest relative of a North American native bee to make the list is the Tarantula Hawk Wasp, the state insect of New Mexico.

Update! Minnesota now has a state bee as well as a state insect. Bombus affinis, the Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee, has been so honored. Good work, Minnesota!

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